NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States Federal Government responsible for the Civilian Space Program, as well as Aeronautics and Aerospace Research. NASA has conducted many manned and unmanned space flight programs throughout its history.

Manned programs sent the first Americans into Low Earth Orbit (LEO), won the Space Race with the Soviet Union by landing twelve men on the Moon from 1969 to 1972 in the Apollo program, developed a semi-reusable LEO Space Shuttle, and developed LEO space station capability by itself and with the co-operation of several other nations including post-Soviet Russia.